Insecurity: Sokoto Gov’t Moves To Reopen Schools

From Bashir Rabe Mani, Sokoto

Sokoto State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Muhammad Ladan Ala, has said that the state government is making concerted efforts to reopen schools closed across  communities due to insecurity.

Prof. Ala disclosed this in Sokoto while briefing newsmen on the efforts of the state government to address issues of out-of-school children and security challenges affecting the education sector.

“I want to inform you that we are making concerted efforts. We are talking with the communities,” he said.

The Commissioner explained that communities whose environments, towns and villages are now secure have written to the Ministry, requesting for the reopening of their schools.

He said that the Ministry is engaging security agencies to give guarantee for the safe reopening, adding that officials of the Ministry have been meetings with village heads, district heads, community leaders, clergymen and security agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), the Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

“Even yesterday we were at Kware Local Government Area.  We met with the village heads there and the District Head and we intend to go to other communities by next week in the various local governments that have written.

“Anywhere we go, we want to hold a meeting with the community leaders, with the clergymen, and with the security agencies, particularly DSS that are very central as far as security information is concerned,” Prof. Ala said.

He emphasized that once communities give assurance to provide security for their children and the security agencies give the nod, the government will go ahead to reopen the schools.

“It’s not under us. We would have loved to open the schools today but we have to get their own approval because we don’t want anything to happen.

“If anything happens, which we are not praying for, then we know that it is with approval and I believe very soon you will hear some of these schools beginning to be opened,” he stated.

Prof. Ala said the state government and Gov. Ahmed Aliyu are worried about the situation and are discussing modalities to ensure children do not continue to stay at home wandering in their villages.

On the issue of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) taking shelter in schools, the Commissioner said security is a collective and complicated responsibility involving many factors, describing it as a syndicate with many people involved.

He disclosed that the Sokoto State Government under the leadership of Governor Ahmed Aliyu has provided massive support worth billions of Naira to security agencies, including procurement of bulletproof motorcycles, armored vehicles, Hilux vans and other logistics.

“What the government is supposed to do, it has done to provide all the necessary support in terms of logistics, in terms of funding, in terms of vehicles, all of this the government has provided,” he said.

The Commissioner noted that bringing about the required positive change in the education sector requires sustained investments over many years, citing examples of countries like China which started its reforms in 1974 and became successful.

He reiterated the commitment of the administration to sustain, secure and improve the education sector, assuring that the Ministry is ready to ensure no child is left behind due to insecurity.